The Adventure of the Seized Niece
by Tookmyskull
Summary: In which Mrs. Hudson's niece, Laura Devereux, comes to live with her and meets her upstairs renters.
1. Chapter 1

_**Act 1 - "The Adventure of the Seized Niece"**_

Opening scene: Shot of the outside of 221B. Outside it is late autumn.

Cut to the interior of the upstairs flat shared by Sherlock Holmes and Dr. John Watson.

_(Sherlock is lying on the couch reading a scientific periodical. He looks to be about 27, although he may be deceptively youthful._ _In appearance he is rather over six feet, but so lean he seems attenuated – all neck, legs and arms, long feet, big hands. He has an unruly mop of wavy black hair,_ _a long, blade-shaped, ascetic face, full lips and highly modeled cheekbones. His luminescent pale gray crescent-shaped eyes quickly scan the pages of the magazine._

_(John is updating his blog at a table at the other end of the room. He is a small, compact man in his late thirties, probably stronger than he looks. His dark blonde hair is close-cropped and his weathered face looks as if it has seen much sun and hardship, although the tan has faded. His face is kind and thoughtful as he composes on his blog.)_

_(They hear the ringing of the landline phone downstairs. A few moments later, it rings again.)_

_Sherlock: _(Sounding annoyed) Yesterday it rang 22 times.

_John: _(Chuckling) Our landlady's niece has come to live with her, Sherlock. She is seventeen. Teens use the phone almost as much as you do.

_Sherlock: _(Grunts irritably).

John: She does articles for the Weekly Messenger. That's probably a source for many of the calls. Have you met her?

Sherlock: Briefly when I stopped down to pay the rent.

_(John gestures at a camera, with a telephoto lens, that is set up by one of their casement windows.)_

John: Have you taken up photography, or are you just getting your jollies spying on the neighbors?

_(Before Sherlock can answer, they hear Mrs. Hudson coming up the stairs carrying a small sack of groceries. She knocks twice on the open door.)_

Mrs. Hudson: Hoo-hoo!

John: Good evening, Mrs. Hudson.

Mrs. Hudson: Good evening you two! I stopped off and bought the beans and milk.

_(John looks at his flat mate in exasperation.)_

John: Sherlock, you were supposed to buy the beans and milk.

Sherlock: _(From behind his magazine)_ Mrs. Hudson was out anyway, so I texted her.

_(John looks disgusted as Mrs. Hudson enters the kitchen, places the milk in the fridge and the bag containing beans on the table, which otherwise is overflowing with odiferous chemicals and lab equipment.)_

John: Well, thank you, Mrs. Hudson.

Mrs. Hudson: Oh, you are very welcome, John.

_(The landline rings again downstairs.)_

John: How is your niece?

Mrs. H: Adjusting, I'd say. She's had such a rough go, poor girl, with her mum in drug rehab and her dad a fugitive of the law. He's wanted for embezzlement, you know. He's fled the country and they don't even know where he is. Laura believes he is totally innocent. They wanted to put her into foster care, but I took her in instead. Oh, and she's such a help to me with the cooking and cleaning! In fact it is on her behalf I hoped to speak to you two. You know, she's receiving absolutely no financial help from her mum. She's applying for university scholarships and has this part-time job, but it's so difficult for her to buy even basic necessities with so little coming in. Now you two so often need looking after and I'm not always available. After all, I'm NOT your housekeeper…

_(She glances at Sherlock, who shifts and hides behind his magazine.)_

I thought perhaps, if you would be willing to pay her a bit, Laura could come up and straighten the flat when you're away and prepare a meal or two?

_(Both John and Mrs. Hudson look at Sherlock, who continues to completely ignore them. John sighs.)_

John.: I haven't met Laura yet. Would now be a good time?

Mrs. Hudson: Yes! I'm on my way next door to Mrs. Turner's, but Laura is downstairs.

_(After casting another exasperated look at Sherlock, John follows Mrs. Hudson down the stairs. Mrs. Hudson leaves by the front door. John knocks on the door of 221A. Laura opens it. She is a slender girl with very dark eyes and very long, thick, straight black hair braided in a single plait down her back.)_

Laura: Dr. Watson?

John: Yes and please call me John.

_Laura: _(Smiling) Please come in.

_(John enters the flat and the door closes.)_

_Scene 2: Back in the upstairs flat. After John heads downstairs, Sherlock peers from behind his magazine. He checks his watch and when he hears the two doors downstairs close, he rises and walks over the coffee table to the window, carefully parting a curtain._

_It is darkening and we see a subtle look of expectation confirmed on Sherlock's face as he watches a car below cruise very slowly past 221 Baker Street. He can see the driver's eyes casing their building. Sherlock quickly aims the camera on the tripod with the telephoto lens at the car and snaps a series of photos, including one of the vehicle's license plate._

_Cut to the rear of the car continuing up the street and turning at the corner._

_Cut back to Sherlock, still gazing out the window. He turns and folds into a chair, grabs his laptop and opens it. He downloads the photos from the camera then starts Googling. On the screen is seen what he is typing: Corporate mercenaries._

_Scene 3: John returns. It appears as if Sherlock has not moved. John is carrying a plate of food, which he places on the coffee table._

John: There - a sample of Laura's culinary finesse. You should chat with her, she's quite extraordinary. She's qualifying for chemistry and anthropology. Eat before it's cold.

_(Sherlock slaps the magazine down and picks up the plate.)_

John: She has a dream of developing a device to help find human remains buried in disasters to supplement the work of search and rescue dogs. It would locate the remains by digitally measuring gases released by bodies in various stages of decomposition. You could even help her with that, if you weren't so intractable.

Sherlock: Helping teen-aged girls with their science projects. Not my area.

John: Right. People aren't your area. You might at least let her borrow some of your lab equipment - you've got enough of it. How is it?

Sherlock: Adequate.

John: You seem to be enjoying it. _( John returns to his laptop. Sherlock consults his laptop again too, then rises, rummages through a drawer, plugs in a memory stick, removes it again.)_

Sherlock: John _(John looks at him and Sherlock tosses the memory stick at him.) _Give her that. It's a volatile gas calibration program.

John: _(Sits back and looks very surprised) _So! You can show a spark of kindness when the mood strikes you.

_(Sherlock just types, ignoring him. John rises and heads down the stairs._

Sherlock: _(Shouting after him) _And tell her she's hired!

_Scene 4: Sherlock is still on his laptop when his cell beeps. He pulls it out. A message appears on the screen: Thank you, Mr. Holmes! He smirks._

_Scene 5: Laura is seen loading the calibration program onto her aunt's computer. She thinks a moment, then types "Sherlock Holmes" onto her computer screen. His website "The Science of Deduction" pops up._


	2. Chapter 2

**Act 2: The Aventure of the Seized Niece**

Opening scene: A week has passed and it is tea time. Laura tentatively enters through the open door of 221B. She is carrying a tea tray on which is balanced a teapot, two cups, biscuits and jam. She sets it on the coffee table and plans a hasty retreat when Sherlock addresses her.

Sherlock: Good afternoon, Miss Devereux.

Laura: _(Regards him cautiously.)_ Please call me Laura.

Sherlock: _(Scans her.) _You've put on two pounds since I saw you last.

John: _(Adds quickly) _Yes, Laura, you do look healthier. You were too thin before.

_(She gives John a warm smile when he hands her a white envelope.)_

John: Your wages for the week.

Laura: Thank you, John. You were called out this morning. Was it the case of the missing woman from Basingstoke?

Sherlock: _(Squinting at her sharply.) _How would you know that?

Laura: _(Her dark brown, almost black eyes seem opaque. It makes it hard to tell what she is thinking.) _It's been all over the news. I thought perhaps you might take an interest.

Sherlock: It was the Basingstoke case and it turned out to be one of murder.

Laura: (She wavers in the doorway. Finally her curiosity overrides her reserve.) May I ask how you solved it?

Sherlock: (He appraises her again, then takes out his cell, rises from the couch and approaches her.) Murderers really should consider washing off the shovels they use to bury their victims, but then these two were far from the cleverest I've run across. (He hands his cell to her. On it is a photo taken of the back of a dirty shovel. He launches into an explanation, spitting the words out like buckshot.) The lead suspects, of course, were the woman's daughter and her boyfriend but there was no body and trace evidence was too scanty to justify arrest.

Upon searching their garden shed however, I found a clue Scotland Yard missed – a muddy shovel. The clean working edges and smeared structure indicated it had been used in wet soil shortly after Mrs. Barklay's disappearance a week ago.

The suspects told police they had recently used it in the garden, but there has been no rain in London in the past week. Mud found on the shovel matched that on their car tyres - not that found in their garden - so obviously they had traveled elsewhere to do their digging.

Cemented soil stuck to the upper rear section as you see there and soil compacted in the handle housing shows where it had been used to flatten soil. Note these large, angular quartz grains, which are not typical of surface soils. Such grains are only found at depth.

This fine-grained yellowish pink material is iron oxide and clay, and these small white fragments are deep, sub-surface kaolinite-rich fragments. All this, combined with an absence of plant material is common to industrial quarries.

(Sherlock pauses briefly to scrawl something on a piece of paper. Laura glances at John.)

John: (Smiles) He knows a lot about dirt.

Sherlock: Soils, John, not dirt. (He folds the piece of paper he was writing on and continues.) In the laboratory I used X-ray diffraction. Composition of soil (He throws John a pointed glance) is as easy to match as fingerprints.

Geological maps, together with associate evidence led me to a quarry on Barnsley

Road in Gloucestershire. A pH and salt match was found near a retention pond on the property, where the buried body of the victim was found.

Laura: (Listens to this explanation, her opaque gaze fixed on him all the while.) I've been doing a lot of soil research myself. I want to develop this device…

Sherlock: (Interrupting her) John has mentioned it. (He holds the folded piece of paper out to her. Puzzled, she opens it. Her fingers tremble and her eyes assume the fixed stare of a frightened deer. The words "They are watching you" flash onto the screen.)

Sherlock: I've seen three cars…so far.

_(Laura is trembling. Alarmed, John urges her into a chair.)_

John: Sherlock, what are you talking about?

Sherlock: As you are very well aware, John, you and I are being watched by many people. My brother's agents, for one; Moriarity's minions, for another; and the Chinese gang Black Lotus is still taking an interest. Surely you've noted the blue eye spray painted on the electrical box across the street. That's their symbol. I recognize all of our usual friends, but these new sharks…_(He pulls open a drawer and extracts three photographs)_ began circling almost to the day Miss Devereux arrived.

Laura: _(Quietly) _Please call me Laura.

Sherlock: _(Handing the photos to her) _Do you recognize any of these men?

Laura: Yes, I do. _(Pointing) _That's Peter Yakov.

Sherlock: Your mother's lover? Tell us about him.

Laura: Yakov worked with my father at Tactical Gear.

John: Tactical Gear, I know that firm. They provide defense equipment and clothing for the military.

Laura: Yes. The company has accused my father of embezzling from them, but I know in my heart that my father is totally innocent.

John: Do you know where your father is now?

Laura: No. Nobody knows where he is now. He used to be in the SIS, you know. He knows how to hide. But my mother had been having an affair with Yakov even before my father was accused. After my father disappeared, my mother entered a drug rehabilitation program. She's been addicted to valium for years. They wanted to place me in foster care. When Aunt Betty found out she offered to take me in until I turn eighteen next May. And this man…_(She points at another photo) _That's Viktor Abhesit. He's a friend of Yakov's. That scar on his forehead? He said he got it in a knife fight years ago.

Sherlock: What else do you know of him?

Laura: Very little, beyond what I've told you.

(Sherlock pulls out his MePhone and does some searching.)

Sherlock: Ah. I see Yakov currently is an attorney for Tactical Gear. However in 1997 he represented Tom Sparks, the British mercenary whose actions brought down the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea. Charges were reduced to weapons violations and then dismissed.

Laura: _(Almost to herself) _I wonder if these are the men who tried to abduct me.

John: _What? _Abduct you?

Laura: Yes, John. A man pulled up and tried to get me into his car while I was standing in my parents' driveway…this was shortly after we learned of the charges against my father. A neighbor came running over and they sped away.

The second time, two men drove up to me when I was walking in the car park at the Daily Messenger where I work, but I ran down a stairwell and back into the building. They were wearing ski masks, so if they were these men I wouldn't know.

John: Didn't you contact the police?

Laura: Yes, but they haven't found them. I've been working remotely ever since, writing and editing on my computer from Aunt Betty's. I'm afraid to even set a foot outside the door now!

Sherlock: You live under a false sense of security. They could easily break into this building if they chose to. _(He stands thinking, the inner wheels clearly turning)_ Can you think of any reason why two of your father's co-workers would want to abduct you? _(She shakes her head) _What was your relationship with your father?

Laura: I rarely saw my father. He was a product representative and traveled a great deal. But when he was home we spent every minute together. I love him dearly and I know he is innocent. (Dryly) My mother and I have never been close. She was too drugged up most of the time to notice me.

Sherlock: (Studying her some more.) Who gave you the locket?

(Surprised, Laura's hand goes to her throat.)

Laura: My…my locket?

Sherlock: Yes, the heart-shaped locket you usually wear. You are even wearing it in the cabinet photo that sits on your aunt's sideboard. However today you are not wearing it. Why?

Laura: You really are very observant.

Sherlock: It's my business.

Laura: It's a friendship locket. My friend Lucy Hannibal gave it to me on my last birthday. There's a tiny photo of the two of us inside.

Sherlock: The girl with the short auburn hair I've seen visiting here?

Laura: Yes, that's Lucy. She left this morning for Paris on a student exchange trip. I wanted to go too, but…_(A hint of wistful look, then her face becomes carefully expressionless again.)_ Perhaps some day. Anyway, I gave the locket to her to take to Paris. You know…for good luck.

Sherlock: And did she take it with her?

Laura: I don't know. She was wearing it when she left last night.

John: Why would you ask about the locket right now, Sherlock?

Sherlock: I am trying to determine why these men would want to abduct her. If it's a question of ransom, there needs to be someone out there who would care enough to pay it. People do not ordinarily buy heart-shaped lockets for themselves. They are almost always gifts therefore I wanted to determine from whom she got hers.

(Laura's cell phone beeps.) Hello? Oh hi, Jean. (Laura's brow furrows with concern as she listens.) I agree that is strange. She should have gotten there hours ago. Yes…yes, I sure will, if I hear from her. (She rings off) That was Lucy's mum. She said Lucy never checked in at her hotel in Paris. She left at seven this morning – nearly eleven hours ago. It would only have taken her an hour to get there. Where could she be?

(Growing excited, Sherlock takes out his cell, walks away and dials. To their surprise, they hear him speaking in fluent French to someone at the other end. Finally he rings off and approaches again.)

Sherlock: That was Claude Olivet of Surete Nationale in Paris. He informs me that Lucy Hannibal, a British citizen, has not yet checked in at her Paris hotel. He has opened a missing persons investigation. I sent him the names and descriptions of these three men. He will alert me of any updates. I don't believe we should lose time waiting for that, however. (He sweeps his long coat and blue scarf off the hook) Come, John, there's no time to lose.

John: _(Looking somewhat bewildered as he retrieves his jacket from the back of his computer chair.) _Where are we going, then?

Sherlock: To Lucy Hannibal's. There may be some evidence there that will throw a light on this mystery. Miss Devereux, I think it would be wise if you came, as well. And John…bring your revolver.

(The camera follows the three of them down the stairs and out the front door. Sherlock hails a cab. They climb in, Laura seated between them, and drive away.)

Sherlock: Is there any reason these men should be interested in Lucy Hannibal?

Laura: They didn't know her. (With a touch of bitterness) I never brought my friends home. Not with my mum the way she was.

Sherlock: But they may have seen her with you here.

Laura: I suppose so, but her dad is a schoolteacher. He has nothing to do with Tactical Gear.

John: Sherlock, how long have you known about this? The three men?

Sherlock:_ (His cell rings_.) Sherlock Holmes…_(He holds another conversation in French, then rings off, looking grave.)_

John: What is it? What did he tell you?

Sherlock: (Ignoring him, he is dialing again.) Lucy Hannibal's case is now confirmed to be abduction. Security film at the train station shows she was forced into a car by two masked men shortly after she got off the train.

Laura: Oh my God!

Sherlock: I'm calling Lestrade. We will need him to liaison with the French police. I will be calling my brother, too. (Bitterly) After all, the machinations of the military machine are his area of expertise. I'm sure he can provide more details on Tactical Gear and who works for them and liaison with the British embassy in France. This is an international matter now. And to answer your question, John, do you really think I would ignore such an interesting case when it was living right beneath my feet?

(John squints at him, rather appalled at this callous comment. He glances at Laura, but she appears to be in a daze. Possibly she didn't even hear him. John reaches out and squeezes her hand reassuringly.)

John: We'll bring every force to bear, Laura. We'll do our utmost to get your friend back.


	3. Chapter 3

**Act 3: The Adventure of the Seized Niece**

_Opening Scene: The New Scotland Yard office of Detective Inspector Gregory Lestrade._

Sherlock: _(To Lestrade) _It has been confirmed that Miss Devereux's friend Lucy Hannibal has been abducted in France. This group is after Laura as well. She needs to be placed in a safe house under guard at once. Mrs. Hudson and Laura's employer must be informed.

Laura: _(Weakly) _This will devastate Aunt Betty.

Sherlock: At some point we will have to reassure her. Have Miss Hannibal's parents been informed?

Lestrade: We have officers interviewing them now.

_(Two sergeants arrive to lead Laura away and John squeezes her hand reassuringly. She impulsively hugs him. She glances at Sherlock, but he seems too busy talking to Lestrade to notice she's leaving.) _

John: You're in good hands. Everything will work out, you'll see.

_(Laura leaves with the police officers.)_

_Scene 2: The unmarked police van containing Laura is shown leaving the Scotland Yard garage. The van pulls into traffic. Shot of Laura inside with a policewoman and the driver. Stopped at a light, two masked men dressed in black and wearing ski masks, exit a car behind the van. They both have electronic car lock forcers, which they use. They taze both the driver and policewoman and grab Laura who initially screams and struggles, but one of the assailants is shown jabbing her with a hypodermic needle. Laura loses consciousness and is carried to the idling car, laid in the back seat and the car drives over a curb and down an alley to get away. _ _Scene 3: Sherlock and John arrive at Lucy Hannibal's house in Knightsbridge. Police personnel are milling about both inside and out, including Sgt. Donovan. _Sgt. Donovan: Hello again Freak.

Sherlock: Good evening, Sally. Working hard, I see. You haven't even had time to pick up your dry cleaning, judging from the red wine stain on your lapel.

Sandy: _(Snidely) _And why should you be so interested in my lapels?

Sherlock: Don't flatter yourself.

_(Lestrade trots up.)_

Lestrade: I've just been informed that the security van that was taking Laura to the safe house was ambushed. Both guards were overpowered.

Sherlock: _(Furious) _They've got her?

Lestrade: They've got her.

Sherlock: _(Seething) _Nothing at the border crossings?

Lestrade: Border crossings?

Sherlock: Oh for God's sake Lestrade, think! This obviously is an international group. Secure all the border crossings at once! Come on, John.

_(They enter the house. Lucy Hannibal's parents are huddled together on a sofa being interviewed by police, but Sherlock isn't interested in them. He heads straight for Lucy's bedroom.)_

John: Sherlock, don't you need a warrant to search their home?

_(Not answering, Sherlock does an overall visual scan and then starts rummaging through the girl's bureau drawers.)_

John: What on earth are you looking for?

Sherlock: The locket. It has to be here.

John: What, Laura's locket? Why?

Sherlock: Oh John, use your imagination! The locket is the only thing that links these two girls to their kidnappers. Lucy was abducted because last night the men watching our flat saw her leave wearing it. She obviously didn't take it to France or Laura would not have been kidnapped too. Therefore it must be here somewhere. _(He steps into the bathroom and spies the locket sitting in a dish on the sink.) _Ah! Here it is. She took it off to shower and probably in a hurry to leave, forgot to pack it. _(He examines the locket minutely, first with his naked eyes and next with his high-powered lens. He examines the back and then the inside.) _There's something here. There has to be. _(He pulls out a small multipurpose knife and gently pries the small photo out of the locket.) _Ahhhhh, I knew it! Look, John!

John: What is it?

Sherlock: _(Points at a tiny piece of cellophane no more than .4 inch square that was hidden behind the photo of the two girls.) _It looks like a microdot. A photocopy of something. Someone hid it there with the intention of retrieving it later, but was prevented for some reason, perhaps because Miss Devereux rarely took it off.

John: _(Murmurs) _Her name is Laura, Sherlock.

Sherlock: It may be the evidence that will solve this whole case!

John: Shouldn't we tell Lestrade?

Sherlock: No! No, John. Microdots are commonly used in cases of espionage and that is not Lestrade's jurisdiction. Leave Lestrade to find Miss Devereux. Mycroft is the one we need to see now. And as you know, he owes me a few favors.


	4. Chapter 4

Act 4 – Adventure of the Seized Niece

_Opening scene: Mycroft Holmes' spacious office at Whitehall. It contains a large polished mahogany desk. Two visitor chairs are placed before the desk. The furnishings, paintings and curtains are expensive, yet the room seems cold and impersonal. Sherlock is pacing impatiently in front of the two long casement windows. John stands nearby._

_Mycroft enters. He is tall and thin like Sherlock, but bears very little resemblance to him in other respects. While the younger brother is rakishly handsome, Mycroft's looks are unprepossessing and his black hair is thinning. He nevertheless carries the air of a man with power who is used to having his orders obeyed. He looks very grave indeed._

Sherlock: Well? What is it?

Mycroft: That I cannot tell you, other than to say it is a matter of state security. I can say it appears that someone – presumably Yakov or the girl's father – intended to pass on information about our military patents handled by Tactical Gear. I cannot imagine why the suspect chose to secrete it in such a fanciful way. Perhaps they feared they or their homes would be searched and thought it safer to pass it on to an innocent third party. Perhaps their plans were interrupted before they had a chance to retrieve the document.

John: Maybe when Laura's mother went to rehab and Laura had to enter foster care?

Mycroft: Possibly. In any case, that is no longer a matter you need concern yourself with, brother. My staff is giving this matter top priority. We will make every effort to track down the security leak and learn who is at the bottom of it. I would suggest you focus your efforts on helping the police recover the two girls. I am willing to assist in any way, of course.

John: Well…what will happen to the girls once their abductors learn they don't have the document?

Mycroft: Well…they could simply be murdered outright or…

John: Or…?

Mycroft: Or sold.

John: Sold?

Mycroft: We have a complete dossier on Yakov's "friend," Viktor Abhesit. He is connected with a group that smuggles young girls from Africa and Eastern Europe into Britain to work in the sex trade. If I were you, I might consider looking in that direction. After all, why should he kill the girls when instead he could be paid for them?

John: _(Utterly appalled) _My God, Mycroft, are you _serious?_ Did you know Yakov was associating with such a man?

Mycroft: Of course.

John: How could you let such a person work for the British government?

Mycroft: Because he had other skills which were useful to us. Often things are not as cut and dried as one might like them to be, John, and there is a dark side to international relations.

John: Obviously very dark.

Sherlock: (_Glaring at his brother as if he could burn a hole right through him.) _You say that I can count upon your assistance in this matter?

Mycroft: Absolutely.

Sherlock: Come, John.

_(Without another word, Sherlock sweeps out of Mycroft's office and strides down the hall, John beside him. He obviously is seething. Absolutely furious.)_

Sherlock: Well there's the filthy truth, John. You have occasionally asked me why I have such a malignant opinion of my brother. Now you know.The worst of it is he's right. It isn't just Mycroft. Governments the world over cozy up with strange bedfellows, if they believe it is in their overall best interest. Moral principles sold on the world market to the lowest bidder. I am no exception. I'd have nothing to do with him either, if it weren't for the fact that his high connections make him useful to me. _(He pulls out his cell and dials.) _It's me. Any news?

_(Cut to Lestrade.)_

Lestrade: Yes, Sherlock. A vehicle matching the one described by the security officers who were ambushed while escorting Miss Devereux has been found in a car park in Dover…Dover, yes. It is possible she has been taken over the English Channel into France.

_(Cut to Sherlock)_

Sherlock: I'll handle France. In the meantime, Lestrade, I'd suggest you start searching all of the known red light districts and put a bulletin out for Victor Abhesit.

_(Back to Lestrade.)_

Lestrade: _(Incredulous) _The sex trader?

_(Back to Sherlock)_

Sherlock: Yes. We have strong evidence to suggest that, now that these girls are no longer of any use to them, they might be sold on the open market. _(He rings off.) _Well, John, are you ready for a trip to France?

John: We're going to France?

Sherlock: It's the only lead we've got! Lucy Hannibal was abducted there and now Laura Devereux may also be there.


	5. Chapter 5

**Act 5 – The Adventure of the Seized Niece**

Opening scene: An aerial view of Paris. Cut to a plane landing at Charles DeGaulle Airport. Cut to security check. Sherlock and John walk through and meet Sherlock's contact Claude Olivet. They all shake hands.

Olivet: There are developments, Monsieur Holmes. We have recovered Lucy Hannibal.

Sherlock: (Eagerly) Where is she?

Olivet: In Saint-Antoine Hospital.

John: What happened?

Olivet: The vehicle seen in the security film at the airport was spotted in downtown Paris. Our officers gave chase but the vehicle, while attempting to elude them, was struck by a delivery van. The driver was killed. Mademoiselle Hannibal was found, bound gagged and drugged, in the luggage compartment. She was seriously injured, but doctors have every belief that she will recover.

Sherlock: Excellent! Who was the driver?

Olivet: Oh, we know him very well. He is Gjin Bicaku, arrested last year for operating a bordello. He was fined and released.

Sherlock: Where is this bordello?

Olivet: As far as I am aware, it no longer exists.

Sherlock: Then where is his new bordello? Obviously there must be one or he wouldn't be driving around with captive women in the car boot! (Olivet hesitates.) Oh come on, man! Never mind. Just take me to the car he was driving. That should yield some clues.

Olivet: I cannot do that, Monsieur Holmes.

Sherlock: What?

Olivet: You need to go through the British embassy and obtain a warrant to investigate French evidence.

Sherlock: (Impatiently) And how long will THAT take?

Olivet: Perhaps 24 hours…perhaps longer.

Sherlock: All right. (He raises his eyebrows quizzically) Then may I borrow your phone?

Scene 2: A hospital room in Saint-Antoine University Hospital in Paris. John is standing over the girl who lies in the bed, waiting for her to awaken; outside it is raining and Sherlock is gazing out of the window. A misty cameo of Laura Devereux's face is shown screen left, rising as if looking through the rainy window. A second misty cameo, of another girl about the same age who looks remarkably similar rises into sight to the right of it.

**FLASHBACK SCENE:**

A 14-year-old boy is confronting a beefy, muscular, middle-aged balding man who is wearing disheveled working clothes and heavy, dirty farm boots. The boy is tall, thin, with a tousled mop of curly dark hair and gray eyes. He dodges the man as he attempts to lay his hands on him. Lying on the floor, her clothing torn, lies the girl just seen in the window cameo.

Boy: _(In a mocking tone) _I even know you've been cheating on mom!

Man: Liar!

Boy: You've been cheating on her for more than a year! I've got your hotel bills!

Man: It's none of your goddamned business, you weird little freak!

Boy: What you were just trying to do to my sister is my business! It's mom's business too!

_The man takes a swing at him. He ducks, but the man catches him by the throat with his other hand and rams him up against a great stone fireplace… _

Suddenly John's voice breaks into Sherlock's reverie.

John: Sherlock, your ability to work without food and sleep when you are on a case never fails to astound me. As for myself, I wish I had those biscuits Laura brought up yesterday in front of me.

(No response. Sherlock is still gazing out of the rainy window, an odd, distant expression on his face.)

John: You know, Sherlock…

Sherlock: (Finally snapping out of it) Hm?

John: You might have bothered to say goodbye to Laura. We may never see her again.

Sherlock: Do you want to see her again or lecture me on my social etiquette?

_(He takes out his smart phone and begins to work it furiously. On the screen is shown the words: Txt to M.H., L. and Interpol.)_

_Cut to John moving through the hospital cafeteria line._

_Cut to John awakening from a nap on a couch in the hospital break room. He sits up, only to find a grizzled old man gazing fixedly at him from another chair. Embarrassed, John rises, moves into the hall, gets his bearings and walks onto an elevator. The doors close on him and we see the elevator lights as it ascends floors._

_Cut to the elevator doors opening. John steps out, looks around and heads for a hospital room. Camera follows him. Sherlock still is sitting, furiously working his smart phone._

Sherlock: _(Not looking up.) _Feel more rested?

John: Not really. I kept dreaming of poor Laura, being victimized by these soulless people.

Sherlock: Fortunately, I've been doing more than dreaming.

They hear moaning noises and both quickly attend Lucy Hannibal's bedside. She is awakening. She blinks around, frightened.

Lucy: Where…where am I?

John: (Pressing her hand) You're safe. You've been rescued. You're in hospital under police guard.

Sherlock: Do you know what has happened to Laura?

John: Sherlock, she's in no condition to be questioned now.

Sherlock: And how much longer, exactly, am I supposed to wait?

Lucy: (Blinking and trying to focus on Sherlock) Who are you?

Sherlock: My name is Sherlock Holmes. I'm investigating your abduction. Did you ever see Laura?

Lucy: Yes, she…ended up in the same van as me and some other girls. They took us to one place, but I really have no idea where. Then they split us up. They drugged me and…and that's the last thing I remember.

Sherlock: Can you describe any of your captors?

Lucy: There was a man with a scar…on his forehead…

Sherlock: All right. Do you know where Laura is now?

Lucy: I…I do not know. I do not know! (Her eyes close and she passes out again.)

S.: (Displaying great frustration and suppressed anger.) It's time to find Olivet.

Scene 3: Sherlock and John are walking down a hospital hallway and spot Olivet coming toward them. Sherlock seizes him violently by the shirtfront pushes him backward into a nearby window alcove and draws the curtains shut.

John: Sherlock, what the HELL are you doing?

Sherlock: (Backing Olivier into a corner, grasping him by the shirt collar and twisting it tight, his eyes boring into his) I have evidence of all of your recent phone records and secret bank accounts, as well as the most obvious clue that you allowed that bordello you claimed doesn't exist to continue to operate after Bicaku was fined. You're being paid off by this gang, aren't you? And it doesn't take twenty-four hours to obtain a warrant through diplomatic channels to search a vehicle. That vehicle could contain evidence to Laura Devereux's whereabouts. Now who do you think you're dealing with, hm? Why are you trying to stall me?

Olivet: Monsieur Holmes, whatever are you talking about? I have done everything within my power to help you!

Sherlock: It really was a mistake you letting me borrow your cell. I have a photographic memory and I memorized your call directory. Does the number _01-82-18-__06-12 mean anything to you? Hm? How about this bank account number: 14211351815-221415?_

_Olivier: _(Astounded) _How could you get those? Who gave them to you?_

_Sherlock:_ Oh I tracked them down. The point is I have them. I know. So make it easy on yourself at your trial and tell me what I want to know!

Olivet: All right, all right! _(S. releases him, but doesn't let him out of the corner. Olivier smoothes his uniform.) _Your girl is still a virgin. She is worth a lot of money. Thousands.

(John looks disgusted while Sherlock continues to fix Olivet with a steely glare.)

Olivet: She has been sold to a Turk named Abdullah Ediz who lives here in Paris and plans to resell her at auction this morning.

Sherlock: (Grabs Olivet by the collar again) Address! Give me his address!

Olivet: (Struggling) Number 12, Avenue Montaigne!

Sherlock: Good. Now give me your clothes.

Olivet: What! Monsieur!

(John, fed up, knocks Olivet cold with a hard right to the jaw.)

Sherlock: Good work, John.

John: (Rubbing his hand.) That was one of the most satisfying things I've ever done.

Sherlock: My compliments. Now kindly undress him while I call Mycroft.

(Scene ends with John looking put upon, but bending down to comply.)


	6. Chapter 6

**Finale: The Adventure of the Seized Niece**

Opening scene: Sherlock and John are now standing on the porch of a large, bourgeois mansion. Sherlock is wearing Olivet's uniform. John is wearing an ensemble consisting of an expensive suit, shoes and tie. He also is wearing several expensive rings.

John: (Uncomfortably straightening his tie) I hope this ridiculous outfit is on "appro."

Sherlock: It's on Mycroft's tab, so try to look comfortable in it and remember what Olivet coached you to say and do. You're my client. I'm only a poor, corrupt police official.

(A butler opens the door. The sound of Eastern European pop music wafts out. Sherlock and the butler bow to each other. Sherlock presents two cards. The butler glances at them and allows them to pass into the house. The entrance hall is quite dark.)

Butler: (In French) This way, gentlemen.

(He leads them forward and right. Halfway down the second hallway he opens a door leading down a flight of steps, which is also quite dark. Ahead of them they see a flicker of lavender and carnation pink colored lights. As they near, the music changes to erotic club music. The hallway turns and an enormous underground room comes into view. The room is round, with a stage. Bars line the rest of the room. It is pleasantly lit. They find that the "auction" is already underway.

Sherlock: _(grimly) _I hope we're not too late.

(They obtain a bidding number for John and watch the auction proceed. Sherlock catches John looking around. )

Sherlock: Watch your wandering eyes, John. No client is allowed to take any notice of any other one. We could get thrown right out of here for that.

(Close-up of John's face and then cutaway to a huge bouncer studying him suspiciously. John instinctively straightens into a stiff soldier posture, his face sets and he stares only at the stage. Heavily drugged girls are escorted on stage, wearing nothing but high heels and thongs. Their escorts turn them so the clients can see them at every angle, as if they were cattle. Then the bidding begins. The girl is then escorted off the stage, to be released to the highest bidder. They watch this happen to two girls and then Laura comes on. She is shivering and barely able to stand. It is clear she is heavily drugged. There is a tense and frenzied bidding process, but John finally succeeds in outbidding everyone else.)

Sherlock: (In an aside) Funds also courtesy of Mycroft.

John: Thank you, Mycroft. Now let's get Laura out of this hellish place!

(Laura is presented to them in a flimsy sheath. She is barely conscious. Sherlock surrenders his coat. When they get to the road, they hail a cab. John shelters the sleeping Laura under his arm.)

Scene 2: John in extreme closeup.

John: Hello, Mrs. Hudson? This is John. We have her. She is safe. And unharmed, yes. She will be fine.

(_A flood of grateful weeping can be heard from John's phone.) _

_(Cut to Sherlock texting Mycroft and Lestrade with the same news._ _Pan back to see they are in Laura's hospital room. Laura is still unconscious. John approaches the bed where nurses are hooking her up to detoxification drips. We can see him speaking to them in the background. Sherlock, having finished his text, is staring blankly out the window again.)_

**Second flashback:**

(The beefy man grabs the young Sherlock hard by the front of his shirt with his strong hand and slams his head against the mantel of the stone fireplace. Once. Twice. Then he bodily lifts him off his feet as if he was a bale of hay and slings him to the floor.

Shot of man's other hand holding a baling knife. He holds the knife to the boy's throat. Camera sees the hand with the knife from the boy's angle.

Man: I'm fed to the teeth with your meddling, you obnoxious little busybody!

(The camera sees the older sister, Vivienne, rise behind the man and bring the fireplace poker down on his back.)

Vivienne: And I've just about had enough of you, you filthy, drunken sot!

John: Sherlock?

(S. snaps out of his daze and turns. He puts on his coat and scarf.)

John: Wait a minute, where are you going?

Sherlock: You forget the man responsible for this is still out there – Viktor Abhesit. You stay here, in case Laura wakes up. You're the doctor.

(With trepidation John watches him leave. He looks at Laura, conflicted. Finally he decides to stay with her.)

(Cut to a wall clock showing nearly three hours have passed. It is now late afternoon. John is sitting at Laura's bedside when he receives a text from Sherlock: "On my way to another brothel" appears on the screen.)

(Cut to clock showing it is about 1 a.m. The only light in the hospital room comes from the open doorway and John is sleeping in the chair next to Laura's bed.)

(Cut to John pacing the floor of Laura's room. It is mid-morning. Sherlock slips into the room. The men look at each other, both clearly fatigued.)

John: Sherlock! It's a relief to see you! What have you been doing?

Sherlock: I tracked down Gjin Bicaku's new brothel, but the French gendarmes had already raided it by the time I got there. Abhesit was there, but he slipped away from me.

John: I'm sorry. I wish I had been there. _(He glances at the bed to see that Laura is beginning to stir. He takes her pulse, feels her arm.)_ She's ice cold! Why are hospitals always so cold?

(Sherlock heads for the door again.)

John: Where are you going now?

Sherlock: I'm hungry.

(Laura finally comes out of her drug-induced stupor. She gazes, bewildered, around the hospital room, at last her jet black eyes focus, with incomprehension, on John.)

John: _(Smiling warmly.) _Welcome back.

(Laura stares at John for some time as if reviewing everything she could remember. Her eyes travel dazedly around the room again and then overflow with tears.

_Cut to her squeezing John's hand and she can be heard sobbing.)_

Scene 3: Still in Laura's hospital room, only three days later. The head of her bed has been elevated so she can sit up and a cup of water with a straw sits on a tray in front of her. John is still sitting next to her.)

Laura: I feel like such an idiot. Crying the way I was doing before. I…don't do that.

John: _(Smiles at her encouragingly.) _Even seasoned soldiers succumb to grief, recalling mates blown to bits, or awaking to discover part of themselves missing. Recalling my own experience, I predict it will be some time before you can put the memory of this dreadful experience behind you It's not healthy to bottle it up inside.

Laura: I've been bottling it up all of my life. _(She sighs sadly.) _I always dreamed of going to Paris. This…wasn't exactly what I had in mind.

John: Well, we're all of us going home today.

Laura: _(Smiles warmly and grasps John's hand.) _I owe you and Mr. Holmes so much! Thank you.

(Sherlock walks in. He looks haggard and utterly exhausted.)

Sherlock: Abhesit and Bicaku are now both in custody and I've been looking after the legal proceedings. Laura will only have to depose against her kidnappers. I managed to convince the police that demanding her to appear in court shouldn't be necessary. And I bought her some clothes to wear home.

(He sets a large shopping bag from a very exclusive Paris shop behind John's chair.)

Sherlock: At Mycroft's expense, of course.

(Both of them stare at him in astonishment.)

Laura: Thank you, Sher…

(She trails off when he meets her eyes, studying her sharply.)

Sherlock: I'm off to police headquarters. I'll meet you there for the deposition.

(He leaves quickly.)

Laura: (concludes) …lock.

(Cut to Sherlock quickly leaving the hospital room again, Laura and John framed in the background through the doorway, watching him leave. Cut back to the bed.)

John: I don't believe he's slept since this thing started.

(Cut to Sherlock walking quickly down the hall until he reaches the window alcove where he'd cornered Olivet. He stares intently out of the rainy window. He is clearly very tired.)

**Flashback 3:**

(The man relinquishes his grip on young Sherlock's throat and staggers up with a roar of fury as Vivienne continues to hit him with the poker.)

Vivienne: (Raising poker again) Run, Sher! Get help!

(Turning, the man knocks the poker out of Vivienne's hand and grabs her by the hair. She screams.)

Man: I've had about as much as I can take of you too, you prissy little bitch!

(Camera sees from the boy's angle as the man's knife hand comes down. Vivienne screams again. And again. And then she makes a hideous gurgling sound. There are a series of dull, wet thuds as the knife continues to descend - over and over and over.

_Cut to young Sherlock staggering to his feet. He claws at the man's massive shoulders and knees him in the back. This failing, he jumps on the man's back, throws his arm around his thick neck and squeezes. The man drops Viv and turns, trying to shake the boy off, turning in circles around the room. _

_Sherlock lets go and sees Viv on the floor, motionless, covered with blood. The man attempts to pounce on him, but Sherlock ducks under his arm and makes for the door. Cut over boy's shoulder as he opens the door with a view of a farmyard and verdant fields beyond it. Sound of man's huge work boots thundering on the floor behind him.)_

_(Sherlock snaps out of it when a Sister of Merci lays a hand on his arm. She is quite elderly and is wearing the conservative nun's habit.) _

Sister: Monsieur?

_(She smiles kindly and hands Sherlock a red rose before walking away. Sherlock stares at the rose. Behind the rose a gravestone rises into view with the name Vivienne Holmes 1969-1986. Fade into flashback again as a young Sherlock lays a red rose on the grave. He is sobbing._

_(Sherlock snaps to reality again. Realizing where he is and remembering where he was going, he turns and walks swiftly down the hall. He places the rose on the counter of a nurse's station as he passes by.)_

Scene 4: Shot of Laura being deposed at the French police station while her statements are recorded. She appears calm and matter-of-fact.

Cut to the three of them in a cab on their way to the airport. Sherlock sits by one window, Laura by the other with John between them.

Sherlock: Abhesit will be extradited to France and later, to England, Miss Devereux. Protocol being what it is, that may take as long as several years.

Laura: (Studying him intently with her fathomless eyes.) My name…is Laura.

(Sherlock's pale gray, exhausted eyes lock with hers for several moments. John, caught between this Mexican stare-down, glances from one to the other, clearly not quite sure how to break the tension. Finally, Laura breaks it. She smiles.)

Laura: Nice jeans.

(The tension breaks as Sherlock grins, amused.)

Sherlock: So I was told.

(John continues to look from one to the other of them, bewildered.)

Sherlock: Don't you think they're nice jeans, John?

John: Yes, very nice. Must have cost a pretty penny too. _(There is a pause and then he adds) _I can just imagine the fun you had, quizzing the French shop girls about which style would be most appropriate.

(Both Laura and Sherlock appear highly amused at this comment and simultaneously gaze out of their respective windows.)

Scene 4: We can see and vaguely hear Sherlock keeping up a narration on his observations of the people in the airport, ie.:

Sherlock: She is in her mid- to late fifties, although she's had a facelift. She looks to be of southern European stock, possibly Greek or Sicilian, which suggests a large, extended family. Her companion is about ten years younger, although he looks older due to his state of fitness, or lack of it. He obviously doesn't work with his hands. Probably a mid-level professional, since no one at the top would be allowed to maintain such a whimsical beard…

_Laura and J. listen, fascinated and amused. _

Cut to a plane flying overhead.

_Scene 5: Laura is hugging her aunt Betty Hudson, assuring her she is just fine, couldn't be better, just glad it's over._

Laura: _(Turning to John and Sherlock.) _Curry for dinner all right?

Mrs. Hudson: Nonsense dear! No cooking for you! I have supper planned for all three of you.

Sherlock: And John is very welcome to join you. I have something to do.

Mrs. Hudson: Oh, what is it, Sherlock!

Sherlock: It's called sleeping.

_(He retreats up the staircase. Cut to Laura's face following his retreat thoughtfully.)_

Scene 6: A wall clock shows it is late afternoon. Sherlock is lying on the sofa in pajamas and dressing gown, balancing a coffee cup on his chest. He still looks very tired. John sits in a chair nearby.

Sherlock: There are some novel permutations to this story, in the end. It turns out that Laura's father is not an embezzler. He is a blackmailer. At least according to Mycroft. The information on the microdot consisted of a study – done by Mr. Devereux and Yakov – proving that the faulty design of Tactical Gear's body armor was responsible for the death of at least ten British soldiers in Afghanistan.

John: _(Clearly disgusted and angry by this revelation) _Damn it!

Sherlock: Yes, I imagined that would be your reaction. Devereux and Yakov were in it together, initially. They threatened to make the evidence public unless they both were given…hefty end-of-the-year bonuses, shall we say. After the "bonuses" were placed in a Swiss bank account, Devereux wired out all of the money, leaving Yakov empty-handed. Perhaps he saw abducting Laura as his only means of revenge.

John: _(Sighs) _No honor among thieves. How did the microdot get inside of the locket?

Sherlock: Clearly they both knew where the evidence was. As to who originally placed it there, that we may never know.

John: At dinner, Mrs. Hudson informed us that Laura's mother is home from rehab. Laura would like to continue to live downstairs, which, in her aunt's opinion, is the best thing. She turns eighteen next May and will be legally an adult, anyway. She plans to take her qualifying exams and edit her little newspaper as she has been. I imagine she'll be thanking you for saving her from a dreadful fate.

Sherlock: She already did.

John Oh? When?

Sherlock: You heard her say she liked the jeans.

John: _(Looking very puzzled.) _I know I'm probably very obtuse, but I fail to see what that has to do with it.

Sherlock: _(Smirking) _Your being obtuse has everything to do with it.

John: _(Sighs. A sly thought occurs to him.) _Sounds to me like you have sisters.

Sherlock: _(The smirk fades. His eyes grow distant.) _As a matter of fact, I did have one.

John: Had?

Sherlock: Yes. She is no longer living.

John: Older? Younger?

Sherlock: Older. By three years.

John: Oh! I'm sorry to hear she has passed away. When did it happen?

Sherlock: This is not the time to be discussing it.

John: All right. I get the impression it was unexpected.

Sherlock: She was Laura's age. Most deaths at that age are unexpected. I might be willing, John, to fill you in on the details some day, but not now. _(He rises and walks over the coffee table) _Excuse me, John, I need to update my website.

_(Sherlock trots upstairs to his room. Episode ends with a shot of John still sitting in the chair, staring straight ahead of him, thinking. Fadeout.)_


End file.
